Pepper Hybrid SVPS0953 and Parents Thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seeds and plants of pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, and pepper line SMO-E718-0977. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds, plant parts, and tissue cultures of pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, and pepper line SMO-E718-0977 and to methods for producing a pepper plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another plant, such as a pepper plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to plants, seeds, plant parts, and tissue cultures of pepper hybrid pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, and pepper line SMO-E718-0977 comprising introduced beneficial or desirable traits.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of pepper hybrid SVPS0953 and pepperlines SMO-E718-0979 and SMO-E718-0977.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety. Such desirable traits may include any trait deemedbeneficial or desirable by a grower or consumer, including greateryield, resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmentalstress, and nutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all genetic loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for manygenetic loci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at anumber of loci produces a population of hybrid plants that differgenetically and are not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makesperformance unpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a pepper plant of hybridSVPS0953, line SMO-E718-0979, or line SMO-E718-0977. Also provided arepepper plants having all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of such a plant. Parts of these pepper plants are alsoprovided, for example, including pollen, an ovule, an embryo, a seed, ascion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid SVPS0953,pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977 comprising anadded heritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise agenetic locus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. Inone embodiment of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid SVPS0953,pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977 is defined ascomprising a single locus conversion. In specific embodiments of theinvention, an added genetic locus confers one or more traits such as,for example, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance,and modified carbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the traitmay be conferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into thegenome of a line by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or atransgene introduced through genetic transformation techniques into theplant or a progenitor of any previous generation thereof. Whenintroduced through transformation, a genetic locus may comprise one ormore genes integrated at a single chromosomal location.

In some embodiments, a single locus conversion includes one or moresite-specific changes to the plant genome, such as, without limitation,one or more nucleotide modifications, deletions, or insertions. A singlelocus may comprise one or more genes or nucleotides integrated ormutated at a single chromosomal location. In one embodiment, a singlelocus conversion may be introduced by a genetic engineering technique,methods of which include, for example, genome editing with engineerednucleases (GEEN). Engineered nucleases include, but are not limited to,Cas endonucleases; zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs); transcriptionactivator-like effector nucleases (TALENs); engineered meganucleases,also known as homing endonucleases; and other endonucleases for DNA orRNA-guided genome editing that are well-known to the skilled artisan.

The invention also concerns the seed of pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepperline SMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977. The seed of theinvention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population ofseed of pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepperline SMO-E718-0977. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed aregenerally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, seedof pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper lineSMO-E718-0977 may be defined as forming at least about 97% of the totalseed, including at least about 98%, 99%, or more of the seed. The seedpopulation may be separately grown to provide an essentially homogeneouspopulation of pepper plants designated SVPS0953, SMO-E718-0979,SMO-E718-0977.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a pepper plant of hybrid SVPS0953, line SMO-E718-0979, or lineSMO-E718-0977 is provided. The tissue culture will preferably be capableof regenerating pepper plants capable of expressing all of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the starting plantand of regenerating plants having substantially the same genotype as thestarting plant. Examples of some of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, orpepper line SMO-E718-0977 include those traits set forth in the tableherein. The regenerable cells in such tissue cultures may be derived,for example, from embryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves,anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers, seed, and stalks. Stillfurther, the present invention provides pepper plants regenerated from atissue culture of the invention, the plants having all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper lineSMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing pepper seeds, plants, and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent pepper plant with a second parentpepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent plantsis a plant of pepper line SMO-E718-0979 or pepper line SMO-E718-0977.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid pepper seed or plants, wherein a first pepper plant is crossedwith a second pepper plant of a different, distinct genotype to providea hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of pepper lineSMO-E718-0979 or pepper line SMO-E718-0977. In these processes, crossingwill result in the production of seed. The seed production occursregardless of whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent pepper plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent pepper plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent pepper plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent pepper plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a pepper plant or hybrid pepperplant.

The present invention also provides the pepper seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent pepper plant with asecond parent pepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent pepper plants is a plant of pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper lineSMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977. In one embodiment of theinvention, pepper seed and plants produced by the process are firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid pepper seed and plants produced by crossing aplant in accordance with the invention with another, distinct plant. Thepresent invention further contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybridpepper plant, and methods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplaryembodiments of the invention provide an F₁ hybrid pepper plant and seedthereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper lineSMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977, the method comprising thesteps of: (a) preparing a progeny plant derived from pepper hybridSVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977,wherein said preparing comprises crossing a plant of pepper hybridSVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977 with asecond plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plant with itself or a secondplant to produce a seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generation.In further embodiments, the method may additionally comprise: (c)growing a progeny plant of a subsequent generation from said seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation and crossing the progeny plantof a subsequent generation with itself or a second plant; and repeatingthe steps for an additional 3-10 generations to produce a plant derivedfrom pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper lineSMO-E718-0977. The plant derived from pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepperline SMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977 may be an inbred line,and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may be defined ascomprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line. In themethod, it may be desirable to select particular plants resulting fromstep (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper lineSMO-E718-0977 is obtained which possesses some of the desirable traitsof the line/hybrid as well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of pepperhybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper lineSMO-E718-0977, wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and(b) collecting at least one pepper from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement ofpepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper lineSMO-E718-0977 is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used torefer to the aggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of whichsequences defines the phenotype of, in the present case, a pepper plant,or a cell or tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus representsthe genetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make-up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides pepper plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the pepper plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979,or pepper line SMO-E718-0977 could be identified by any of the manywell-known techniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence LengthPolymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 18:6531-6535, 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNAAmplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized AmplifiedRegions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR),Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science,280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by pepper plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a pepper plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second pepper plant, preferably, another, distinctpepper plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a pepperplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have,” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has,” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has,” or “includes” oneor more traits is not limited to possessing only those one or moretraits and covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds, and derivatives of pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper lineSMO-E718-0979, and pepper line SMO-E718-0977.

Pepper hybrid SVPS0953, also known as 18-E7-SPE-0953, is a sweet peppervariety developed for fresh market production in the eastern UnitedStates that develops a plant that produces bright orange, mini, pointedfruit. The hybrid provides early maturity and a continuous fruit set.Pepper hybrid SVPS0953 comprises resistance to Tobamovirus pathotype POand races 0-10 of bacterial leaf spot.

Pepper line SMO-E718-0979 is a pepper variety that develops a compactplant that produces mini, bell-shaped fruit, which mature from mediumgreen to dark red.

Pepper line SMO-E718-0977 is a pepper variety that develops asemi-spreading plant that produces short pimento type fruit that maturefrom medium green to dark orange. Pepper line SMO-E718-0977 comprisesresistance to races 0-10 of bacterial leaf spot.

A. Origin and Breeding History of Pepper Hybrid SVPS0953

The parents of pepper hybrid SVPS0953 are pepper line SMO-E718-0979 andpepper line SMO-E718-0977. The parent lines are uniform and stable, asis a hybrid produced therefrom. A small percentage of variants can occurwithin commercially acceptable limits for almost any characteristicduring the course of repeated multiplication. However no variants areexpected.

B. Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Pepper HybridSVPS0953, Pepper Line SMO-E718-0979, and Pepper Line SMO-E718-0977

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there areprovided plants having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of pepper hybrid SVPS0953 and the parent lines thereof.Descriptions of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofsuch plants are presented in the table that follows.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Pepper HybridSVPS0953, Pepper Line SMO-E718-0979, and Pepper Line SMO-E718-0977CHARACTERISTIC SVPS0953 SMO-E718-0979 SMO-E718-0977 Early Cal WonderSpecies C. annuum C. annuum C. annuum C. annuum Maturity (region of bestadaptability) transplanting until mature green stage  48  62  62  62(days) transplanting until mature red or  59  77  73  80 yellow stage(days) direct seeding until mature green  89 103 103 103 stage (days)direct seeding until mature red or 100 118 114 121 yellow stage (days)beginning of flowering (first flower early medium early early on secondflowering node) time of maturity early early early medium Plant habitsemi-spreading compact semi-spreading semi-spreading attitudesemi-upright/semi- upright/erect upright/erect semi-upright/semi- erecterect height (cm)  52.47  39.13  54.20  45.11 width (cm)  47.93  49.27 43.20  51.94 length of stem from cotyledon to first  13.43  10.53 13.27  11.04 flower (cm) length of the third internode (from soil432.33 274.33 362.20 163.44 surface) (mm) length of stem medium mediumshort medium shortened internode (upper part) present present presentpresent number of internodes between first one to three one to three oneto three one to three flower and shortened internodes (varieties withshortened internodes only) hairiness of stem nodes absent or very weakweak weak absent or very weak height medium short medium short basalbranches none none many (more than many (more than three) three) branchflexibility willowy willowy willowy willowy stem strength (breakageresistance) strong strong strong strong Leaf blade length short mediumshort medium blade width narrow medium very narrow medium width (mm) 46.13  51.60  33.87  54.00 length (mm)  89.43  92.43  67.07 107.50petiole length (mm)  33.67  25.93  25.80  42.33 color medium greenmedium green medium green dark green color (RHS Color Chart Value) 137A137A 137A 147A intensity of green color medium medium medium dark matureshape ovate ovate ovate ovate leaf and stem pubescence absent absentabsent light undulation of margin weak weak strong weak blisteringmedium medium absent medium profile in cross section moderately concavemoderately concave strongly concave moderately concave glossiness weakweak medium weak Flower peduncle attitude semi-drooping droopingsemi-drooping semi-drooping flowers per leaf axil   1.0   1.0   1.2  1.0 calyx lobes   5.93   6.67   6.53   6.53 petals   5.67   5.87  6.73   6.47 flower diameter (mm)  20.87  19.13  17.00  22.07 corollacolor white white white white corolla throat markings yellow yellowyellow yellow anther color purple yellow yellow purple style lengthexceeds stamen same as stamen exceeds stamen exceeds stamenself-incompatibility absent absent absent absent Fruit group jalapenobell pimento bell fruit color before maturity green green green greenintensity of color (before maturity) medium medium medium mediumimmature fruit color medium green medium green medium green medium greenimmature color (RHS Color Chart 144A 137B 144A 143A Value)attitude/position drooping/pendant drooping/pendant drooping/pendanthorizontal length medium medium short medium diameter narrow mediumnarrow broad ratio length/diameter large small medium medium calyxdiameter (mm)  17.15  31.93  18.05  30.08 length (mm)  73.68  60.99 37.87  68.57 diameter at calyx attachment (mm)  34.15  61.81  32.43 58.51 diameter at mid-point (mm)  30.65  62.51  32.51  64.15 fleshthickness at mid-point (mm)   3.01   3.67   2.97   4.13 average numberof fruits per plant  40.13   4.00   5.40   6.11 average fruit weight (g) 22.27  66.13  15.73  92.80 shape (longitudinal section) moderatelysquare square square triangular shape (cross section, level of placenta)quad-rangular angular/tri-angular angular/tri-angularangular/tri-angular sinuation of pericarp (at basal part) medium weakabsent or very weak medium sinuation of pericarp (excluding basal weakweak absent or very weak medium part) surface texture smooth or verysmooth or very slightly wrinkled smooth or very slightly wrinkledslightly wrinkled slightly wrinkled surface smoothness smooth smoothsmooth smooth mature color orange red orange red intensity of color (atmaturity) medium dark dark medium mature color (RHS Color Chart 28A N34A28A 46B Value) glossiness shiny moderate shiny shiny stalk cavity absentpresent absent present depth of stalk cavity absent shallow absentmedium average fruit pedicel length (mm)  28.00  36.87  26.20  36.53average fruit pedicel thickness (mm)   3.46   6.81   4.21   8.30 pedicelshape curved curved curved curved pedicel cavity absent present absentpresent average depth of pedicel cavity (mm) absent   7.39 absent   6.01stalk length long medium short medium stalk thickness thin medium thinthick base shape rounded cupped cupped cupped apex shape moderatelymoderately acute moderately very depressed depressed depressed apexshape blunt blunt blunt blunt shape oblong bell conical bell setconcentrated concentrated concentrated concentrated depth ofinterloculary grooves shallow deep medium medium number of localespredominantly three predominantly four predominantly three equally threeand and more four fruits with one locule (percentage)   0%   0%   0%  0% fruits with two locules (percentage)   0%   7%   0%   0% fruitswith three locules (percentage)  66%   7%  80%  47% fruits with fourlocules (percentage)  34%  86%  13%  63% fruits with five or morelocules   0%   0%   7%   0% (percentage) average number of locules  3.33   3.80   3.27   3.53 thickness of flesh thin thin thin mediumcalyx aspect enveloping non-enveloping enveloping non-envelopingpungency sweet sweet sweet sweet capsaicin in placenta absent absentabsent absent flavor moderate pepper mild pepper flavor mild pepperflavor moderate pepper flavor flavor glossiness strong medium/moderatestrong very strong/shiny Seed cavity length (mm)  60.35  49.07  36.23 52.41 cavity diameter (mm)  23.23  49.53  24.44  59.30 placenta length(mm)  34.35  16.85   5.58  18.20 number of seeds per fruit 135.60  40.87 14.27  67.80 grams per 1000 seeds (g)   4.72   5.20   4.00   6.02 coloryellow yellow yellow yellow Anthocyanin Coloration hypocotyl moderateweak absent absent stem absent absent absent weak nodes moderate absentweak moderate intensity of nodes strong absent weak weak leaf absentabsent moderate absent pedicel absent absent absent absent calyx absentabsent absent absent anther present absent absent present fruit absentabsent absent absent

These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Valuesthat are substantially equivalent are within the scope of the invention.

C. Breeding Pepper Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof pepper hybrid SVPS0953 involving pepper line SMO-E718-0979 and pepperline SMO-E718-0977. Alternatively, in other embodiments of theinvention, pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepperline SMO-E718-0977 may be crossed with itself or with any second plant.Such methods can be used for propagation of pepper hybrid SVPS0953,pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977 or can be usedto produce plants that are derived from pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepperline SMO-E718-0979, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977. Plants derived frompepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper lineSMO-E718-0977 may be used, in certain embodiments, for the developmentof new pepper varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell-known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing pepper hybrid SVPS0953 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well-known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g., colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may begrown into haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. Ineither case, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance withthe invention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with aplant of the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withpepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979, or pepper lineSMO-E718-0977 for the purpose of developing novel pepper lines, it willtypically be preferred to choose those plants which either themselvesexhibit one or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibitthe desired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples ofdesirable traits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield,high seed germination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, diseasetolerance or resistance, and adaptability for soil and climateconditions. Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color,texture, and taste are other examples of traits that may be incorporatedinto new lines of pepper plants developed by this invention.

D. Further Embodiments of the Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those pepper plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing or by genetic engineering,wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of a variety are recovered or conserved in addition tothe single locus introduced into the variety via the backcrossing orgenetic engineering technique, respectively. By essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics, it is meant that thecharacteristics of a plant are recovered or conserved that are otherwisepresent when compared in the same environment, other than an occasionalvariant trait that might arise during backcrossing, introduction of atransgene, or application of a genetic engineering technique.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentalpepper plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental pepper plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a pepper plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny pepper plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of pepper the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particulartraits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germline, such as represented here, with the end result being substantiallythe same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits.Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (PlantPhysiol., 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides amechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an eliteline. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traitsinto an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomicfragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the eliteline by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomicfragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In theembodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, forexample, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. Whenthis elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed withanother parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possibleto then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into thehybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as adisease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, eachlocus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may needto be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in thehybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined toconfer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of pepper plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming, or otherwise disadvantageous. In addition,marker assisted selection may be used to identify plants comprisingdesirable genotypes at the seed, seedling, or plant stage, to identifyor assess the purity of a cultivar, to catalog the genetic diversity ofa germplasm collection, and to monitor specific alleles or haplotypeswithin an established cultivar.

Types of genetic markers which could be used in accordance with theinvention include, but are not necessarily limited to, Simple SequenceLength Polymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 18:6531-6535, 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNAAmplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized AmplifiedRegions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR),Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science,280:1077-1082, 1998).

In particular embodiments of the invention, marker assisted selection isused to increase the efficiency of a backcrossing breeding scheme forproducing a pepper line comprising a desired trait. This technique iscommonly referred to as marker assisted backcrossing (MABC). Thistechnique is well-known in the art and may involve, for example, the useof three or more levels of selection, including foreground selection toidentity the presence of a desired locus, which may complement orreplace phenotype screening protocols; recombinant selection to minimizelinkage drag; and background selection to maximize recurrent parentgenome recovery.

E. Plants Derived by Genetic Engineering

Various genetic engineering technologies have been developed and may beused by those of skill in the art to introduce traits in plants. Incertain aspects of the claimed invention, traits are introduced intopepper plants via altering or introducing a single genetic locus ortransgene into the genome of a recited variety or progenitor thereof.Methods of genetic engineering to modify, delete, or insert genes andpolynucleotides into the genomic DNA of plants are well-known in theart.

In specific embodiments of the invention, improved pepper lines can becreated through the site-specific modification of a plant genome.Methods of genetic engineering include, for example, utilizingsequence-specific nucleases such as zinc-finger nucleases (see, forexample, U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2011-0203012); engineered or nativemeganucleases; TALE-endonucleases (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.8,586,363 and 9,181,535); and RNA-guided endonucleases, such as those ofthe CRISPR/Cas systems (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,697,359 and8,771,945 and U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2014-0068797). One embodiment ofthe invention thus relates to utilizing a nuclease or any associatedprotein to carry out genome modification. This nuclease could beprovided heterologously within donor template DNA for templated-genomicediting or in a separate molecule or vector. A recombinant DNA constructmay also comprise a sequence encoding one or more guide RNAs to directthe nuclease to the site within the plant genome to be modified. Furthermethods for altering or introducing a single genetic locus include, forexample, utilizing single-stranded oligonucleotides to introduce basepair modifications in a pepper plant genome (see, for example Sauer etal., Plant Physiol, 170 (4):1917-1928, 2016).

Methods for site-directed alteration or introduction of a single geneticlocus are well-known in the art and include those that utilizesequence-specific nucleases, such as the aforementioned, or complexes ofproteins and guide-RNA that cut genomic DNA to produce a double-strandbreak (DSB) or nick at a genetic locus. As is well-understood in theart, during the process of repairing the DSB or nick introduced by thenuclease enzyme, a donor template, transgene, or expression cassettepolynucleotide may become integrated into the genome at the site of theDSB or nick. The presence of homology arms in the DNA to be integratedmay promote the adoption and targeting of the insertion sequence intothe plant genome during the repair process through homologousrecombination or non-homologous end joining (NHEJ).

In another embodiment of the invention, genetic transformation may beused to insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention ormay, alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which canbe introduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well-known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., Nat. Biotechnol., 3 (7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recenttechnological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Nat. Biotechnol., 3:629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, for example,Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985; Omirulleh et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 21 (3):415-428, 1993; Fromm et al., Nature,312:791-793, 1986; Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986;Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988). Transformation of plants andexpression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(Plant Cell Rep., 13:344-348, 1994), and Ellul et al. (Theor. Appl.Genet., 107:462-469, 2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, for example, Odel et al., Nature, 313:810,1985), including in monocots (see, for example, Dekeyser et al., PlantCell, 2:591, 1990; Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389,1990); a tandemly duplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, theenhanced 35S promoter (P-e35S); the nopaline synthase promoter (An etal., Plant Physiol., 88:547, 1988); the octopine synthase promoter(Fromm et al., Plant Cell, 1:977, 1989); the figwort mosaic virus(P-FMV) promoter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619; an enhancedversion of the FMV promoter (P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence ofP-FMV is duplicated in tandem; the cauliflower mosaic virus 19Spromoter; a sugarcane bacilliform virus promoter; a commelina yellowmottle virus promoter; and other plant virus promoters known to expressin plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, or developmental signals can also beused for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells, includingpromoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., Plant Physiol., 88:965,1988), (2) light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter, Kuhlemeier et al., PlantCell, 1:471, 1989; maize rbcS promoter, Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell,3:997, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-binding protein promoter, Simpson etal., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985), (3) hormones, such as abscisic acid(Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989), (4) wounding (e.g., wunl,Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989); or (5) chemicals, such asmethyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or Safener. It may also beadvantageous to employ organ-specific promoters (e.g., Roshal et al.,EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987; Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988;Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a pepper plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a pepper plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be acatalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desiredendogenous mRNA product (see, for example, Gibson and Shillito, Mol.Biotech., 7:125,1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNAwhich expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is usefulfor the practice of the present invention.

F. Definitions

In the description and table herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a genetic locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions or transgenes from one geneticbackground into another.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-Pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence, or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Color Chart Value: The RHS Color Chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightness,and saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS Color Chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number, and letter, e.g.,Yellow-Orange Group 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing or genetic engineering ofa locus, wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of a pepper variety are recovered in addition to thecharacteristics of the single locus.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a pepper plant by transformation orsite-specific modification.

G. Deposit Information

A deposit of seed of pepper line SMO-E718-0979 and pepper lineSMO-E718-0977, disclosed above and recited in the claims, has been madewith the Provasoli-Guillard National Center for Marine Algae andMicrobiota (NCMA), 60 Bigelow Drive, East Boothbay, Me., 04544 USA. Thedate of deposit for those deposited seeds of pepper line SMO-E718-0979and pepper line SMO-E718-0977 is June 22, 2021. The accession numbersfor those deposited seeds of pepper line SMO-E718-0979 and pepper lineSMO-E718-0977 are NCMA Accession No. 202106049 and NCMA Accession No.202106048, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, all restrictionsupon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits are intended to meetall of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. § § 1.801-1.809. The deposits havebeen accepted under the Budapest Treaty and will be maintained in thedepository for a period of 30 years, 5 years after the last request, orthe effective life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will bereplaced if necessary during that period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

What is claimed:
 1. A pepper plant comprising at least a first set ofthe chromosomes of pepper line SMO-E718-0979 or pepper lineSMO-E718-0977, a sample of seed of said lines having been depositedunder NCMA Accession No. 202106049 and NCMA Accession No. 202106048,respectively.
 2. A pepper seed that produces the plant of claim
 1. 3.The plant of claim 1, wherein the plant is a plant of said pepper lineSMO-E718-0979 or pepper line SMO-E718-0977.
 4. The plant of claim 1,wherein the plant is a plant of pepper hybrid SVPS0953.
 5. The seed ofclaim 2, wherein the seed is a seed of said pepper line SMO-E718-0979 orpepper line SMO-E718-0977.
 6. The seed of claim 2, wherein the seed is aseed of pepper hybrid SVPS0953.
 7. A plant part of the plant of claim 1,wherein the plant part comprises a cell of said plant.
 8. A pepper planthaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of theplant of claim
 1. 9. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of the plantof claim
 1. 10. A method of vegetatively propagating the plant of claim1, the method comprising the steps of: (a) collecting tissue capable ofbeing propagated from the plant of claim 1; and (b) propagating a pepperplant from said tissue.
 11. A method of introducing a trait into apepper line, the method comprising: (a) utilizing as a recurrent parentthe plant of claim 1 by crossing said plant with a donor plant thatcomprises a trait to produce Fi progeny; (b) selecting an Fi progenythat comprises the trait; (c) backcrossing the selected Fi progeny witha plant of the same line used as the recurrent parent in step (a) toproduce backcross progeny; (d) selecting a backcross progeny comprisingthe trait and the morphological and physiological characteristics of therecurrent parent line used in step (a); and (e) repeating steps (c) and(d) three or more times to produce a selected fourth or higher backcrossprogeny.
 12. A pepper plant produced by the method of claim
 11. 13. Amethod of producing a pepper plant comprising an added trait, the methodcomprising introducing a transgene conferring the trait into the plantof claim
 1. 14. A pepper plant produced by the method of claim
 13. 15. Apepper plant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes ofpepper line SMO-E718-0979 or pepper line SMO-E718-0977, a sample of seedof said lines having been deposited under NCMA Accession No. 202106049and NCMA Accession No. 202106048, respectively, further comprising atransgene.
 16. The plant of claim 15, wherein the transgene confers atrait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicidetolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance,modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stress tolerance, modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism, and modified protein metabolism.
 17. A pepperplant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of pepper lineSMO-E718-0979 or pepper line SMO-E718-0977, a sample of seed of saidlines having been deposited under NCMA Accession No. 202106049 and NCMAAccession No. 202106048, respectively, further comprising a single locusconversion.
 18. The plant of claim 17, wherein the single locusconversion confers a trait selected from the group consisting of malesterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance,disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stresstolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism, and modified proteinmetabolism.
 19. A method for producing a seed of a pepper plant derivedfrom at least one of pepper hybrid SVPS0953, pepper line SMO-E718-0979,or pepper line SMO-E718-0977, the method comprising the steps of: (a)crossing the plant of claim 1 with itself or a second pepper plant; and(b) allowing a seed of a hybrid SVPS0953-, pepper line SMO-E718-0979-,or pepper line SMO-E718-0977-derived pepper plant to form.
 20. A methodof producing a seed of a pepper hybrid SVPS0953-, pepper lineSMO-E718-0979-, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977-derived pepper plant, themethod comprising the steps of: (a) producing a pepper hybrid SVPS0953-,pepper line SMO-E718-0979-, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977-derived pepperplant from a seed produced by crossing the plant of claim 1 with itselfor a different pepper plant; and (b) crossing the pepper hybridSVPS0953-, pepper line SMO-E718-0979-, or pepper lineSMO-E718-0977-derived pepper plant with itself or a different pepperplant to obtain a seed of a further pepper hybrid SVPS0953-, pepper lineSMO-E718-0979-, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977-derived pepper plant. 21.The method of claim 20, the method further comprising repeating saidproducing and crossing steps of (a) and (b) using the seed from saidstep (b) for producing the plant according to step (a) for at least onegeneration to produce a seed of an additional pepper hybrid SVPS0953-,pepper line SMO-E718-0979-, or pepper line SMO-E718-0977-derived pepperplant.
 22. A method of producing a pepper fruit, the method comprising:(a) obtaining the plant of claim 1, wherein the plant has beencultivated to maturity; and (b) collecting a pepper fruit from theplant.